Keira Knightley: Every woman has experienced some kind of harassment

Knightley in Harper’s Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar/Boo George

Keira Knightley has said she has experienced harassment in everyday life - suggesting “everybody” has some experience of being “flashed at, or groped.”

The Atonement star, 36, spoke about experiencing harassment and the precautions she feels, as a woman, she has to take in the latest edition of Harper’s Bazaar.

Pride and Prejudice star Knightley said when asked if she had been harrassed: “Yes! I mean, everybody has. Literally, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been, in some way, whether it’s being flashed at, or groped, or some guy saying they’re going to slit your throat, or punching you in the face, or whatever it is, everybody has.”

Speaking about feeling unsafe when out and about and how she protects herself, the two-time Oscar nominee continued: “It was when women started listing all the precautions they take when they walk home to make sure they’re safe, and I thought, I do every single one of them, and I don’t even think about it. It’s fucking depressing.”

Harper’s Bazaar/Boo George

Knightley is married to musician James Righton and has two daughters with the star - Edie, born in May 2015, and Delilah, born in September 2019.

The actress, who is an ambassador for Chanel Beauty, said she though it was important to keep spirits up at home during lockdown for the sake of her children.

She said: “We have a trampoline in our garden, and we decided we were only allowed to wear dresses on it. I put on red lipstick every day, and every bit of Chanel that I have in my cupboard, and my daughter Edie had Chanel ribbons plaited into her hair and fairy wings.

“I thought, ‘What is the point of these lovely things sitting in the wardrobe, when it feels quite apocalyptic and scary outside?’

“It felt so important to be really happy for the kids!”

Harper’s Bazaar/Boo George

Knightley is preparing for an upcoming role in a feature based on Ancillary Justice - the 2013 science fiction novel by the American writer Ann Leckie.

She said about working on the project: “It’s about power. The questions within my character are, ‘What is the purpose of conquest? What are the motivations to rule?’ So I’m reading lots of books about dictators, and fantasising about intergalactic domination while I’m doing the washing-up and changing the baby’s nappy...”

The July issue of Harper’s Bazaar is on sale from June 9.

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